Thieves United

PARIS, FRANCE: 7:40 AM
The day was here. The day Inspector Westwood would come to the Parisian Interpol Headquarters.

Modesta had been running around like a chicken all morning, trying to get files together, and trying to book a taxi to pick Inspector Westwood and his partner up from the airport. J.R. was trying to talk to the Chief, briefing him about the meeting they would have, and what would have to be done to ensure that this case went through properly, but the Chief wasn't listening. This only made J.R. frustrated, and he started yelling at random people. Modesta had to try and calm him down, which only added to the other responsibilities she had.

"I honestly don't get why everyone is making such a big deal about Westwood coming to HQ," Sly was saying to Carmelita in her office. He was laying back on the green couch near the window, his arms behind his head, and he was staring up at the ceiling boredly. Westwood and his partner were supposed to be arriving within the hour. "So he's from New York; big whoop. I heard from Jonesy that he's a bit of a klutz."

"I heard from Modesta that he's an excellent cop; made a thief turn good, and she's now working for the police." Carmelita said, shuffling through files. Modesta had asked Carmelita to help her with the huge work load. Sly grinned at the vixen from his spot on the couch.

"Didn't you do that, too?" He asked. Carmelita just smiled at him before going back to the files.

"Yes," She replied. "But no one knows. Everyone at Westwood's office knows what he's done, though."

"Good for him, then," Sly said, looking back up at the ceiling. "But I still don't see why this guy is so great."

"We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" Carmelita said. "Frankly, I'm kind of curious as to why they'd drag him all the way out here from America just for a case. Unless it was some big, huge, top secret mission to try and stop a huge disaster from striking."

Sly sat up with a jolt. A big, huge disaster did she just say?

'That diamond." Sly thought, realization hitting like a brick in the face. Wait, why was he so surprised? He had thought this would happen. He knew Westwood would be on this case. Why else would he come all the way from America? He knew the diamond was potentially dangerous, and he wanted to make sure no thief would get a hold of it.

'Sorry, Inspector Westwood,' Sly thought. 'But the Cooper Gang is going to get that diamond one way or another. It's the only way to keep it from falling into the wrong hands.'

There was a knock at the door, and after Carmelita gave permission for the person to enter, Modesta poked her head inside the room, looking a little anxious. Carmelita smiled when she saw her.

"Hey, Modesta," She said. "Enjoying your work with J.R.?"

"Huh?" Modesta asked. Then she smiled, and blushed a bit. "Oh, yeah. He's so nice."

"Really?" Sly asked. "I would never have thought…"

"People just don't try to get to know him," Modesta argued. Then she shook her head slightly. "Anyway, I just came in to ask if you've got those files ready."

"Almost done," Carmelita said. "I'll drop them off once I'm finished."

"Okay, thanks," The Persian kitten said. "We'll be in Chief's office."

There was a moment of awkward silence as Modesta just stayed by the door, chewing on her lip. Then she said, "By the way, I kind of… got you two involved in the case…"

"Involved?" Sly asked. "Didn't we get in trouble for jumping into a case we weren't involved in?"

"Yeah, but…" The feline let her tail motion itself back and forth. "Well, I'd kind of like to have you guys on the case. You're hard workers. And I've already signed you guys up to be on the team."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sly yelled, getting to his feet. "What?"

"Are you even allowed to randomly sign officers up without the Chief's consent?" Carmelita asked.

"You are," The Spanish Persian said softly.

"Ah…" Sly said, rubbing his eyes. If he was on this case, then the heist he was supposed to do for Bentley would go out the window. "Modesta…"

"Please?" Modesta pleaded. "C'mon, you two are some of the best officers in here, and I feel kind of bad for the fact you've been cooped up in here for a week doing nothing…"

Carmelita and Sly looked at each other. It would give them an excuse to do something, because time at the office was getting steadily more and more boring. And besides, Sly was curious about this 'important' case Westwood was involved in. And now that he thought about it, if Westwood was on a case to protect that diamond, it would be helpful if Sly knew exactly when and where the Interpol officers would be. It would help Bentley plan their next heist to steal the last Element stone (and hopefully the diamond) around the schedule of the cops.

"As long as J.R. doesn't call me 'Witt' anymore," Sly said after a while, looking back at Modesta. She cheered, and actually threw herself at him. Sly could feel her lips press against his cheek.

"Thanks, Sly, you're the best!" Modesta said fondly, and after giving a wave to Carmelita, she left the room. Sly looked at her. She looked at him, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You know, I didn't enjoy that." Sly said randomly.

"Uh-huh." Carmelita replied, giving him a firm look, but Sly could see the smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "Sure you didn't."

"I swear," Sly said, holding up a hand, but he was grinning. "Actually, it… kind of surprised me."

"Oh, yeah," Modesta said, popping her head back into the room. "We're having a meeting in the Chief's office in fifteen minutes."

About five minutes before the meeting was about to begin, Sly and Carmelita stepped out into the hallway. As soon as they closed the door behind them, they noticed Modesta and J.R. talking with two officers. One was the familiar-looking Arctic Fox, Inspector Westwood, and the female black cat standing next to him Sly could only assume was his partner, Taylor.

Westwood was dressed differently than the last time Sly and Carmelita saw him at the club. He was wearing a pair of baggy, faded blue-jeans, a grey t-shirt, and a black trench coat with a high collar. His blue eyes were hidden behind shades, and he looked like some guy right out of the Matrix. The girl standing next to him, however, looked normal, and didn't dress like a Neo Wanna-Be, though she did have a mysterious air about her.

She had wavy black hair that reached half-way down her back and she was wearing a white, long-sleeved t-shirt with a regular, blood-red t-shirt over it. She wore a pair of big, clunky boots that Sly was amazed she could even walk in, but most of the boot was covered by her blue jeans that flared out a bit at the bottom. The thing that stood out most about her, however, was her eyes. They were bright green, and filled with a secret. It seemed like those eyes could pierce through your very soul with one dark look. Sly definitely didn't get warm fuzzies from her.

"Sly, Carmelita," A voice hissed, and the two looked over at Modesta, who was beckoning them over. Together, they walked over to her. J.R. was standing next to her, talking to Westwood, but Sly wasn't paying much interest in what they were saying; his eyes were on Westwood's partner. She was standing with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed slightly. What was with her?

The Chief came out of his office then, his regular cigar between his teeth, and his newly-shined Chief's badge pinned to his chest. He puffed some smoke from his cigar out of his mouth, and looked to J.R.

"Inspector Ralston," The Chief said. "Would you care to introduce the officers on this case?"

"Of course, sir," J.R. said, and he motioned to Westwood. "Inspector Harold Westwood, the officer from the American branch of Interpol and his partner, Inspector Mishelle Taylor."

"Inspector Westwood," The Chief greeted, holding out his hand to shake. Harold Westwood shook his hand firmly, removing the shades from his eyes.

"Chief Ralston," He said. "Thank you for supporting this case. You have no idea how crucial it is."

"No trouble, Harold, no trouble," The Chief said. Harold chuckled a bit.

"Call me Harry, sir," He said. Chief Jacey nodded in response, and held a hand out to Inspector Taylor. She just looked at it for a moment with those piercing green eyes of hers, and then slowly uncrossed her arms to grasp the Chief's hand briefly before taking up the same stance as before. Chief Jacey obviously noticed Mishelle didn't want to converse or socialize, so he just cleared his throat uncomfortably, and stuck his cigar back in his mouth.

"So," He said. "Shall we get this meeting underway?"

"Oh," Modesta said, speaking to Harry as the Chief walked back into his office. "I've recruited some officers to help out with the case. If you don't mind, that is. They're good officers, and their talents will be helpful with the case."

"We don't need any help," Mishelle said curtly with a bite of impatience in her voice, and she followed the Chief and J.R. (who had just followed his uncle) into the office. Mishelle's voice was a bit low for a female, but it was still feminine all the same.

(A/N: The best way to describe Mishelle Taylor's voice: If you've ever seen Miyazaki's film 'Princess Mononoke', listen to the actress who plays the voice of the Princess herself in the English version of the film. That is what Mishelle's voice is like.)

Modesta lowered her ears when Mishelle made that retort, and Harry just sighed.

"Don't worry about her," He said to the Persian. "She's just… independent. Anyway, you recruited new officers? Great, the more help, the better."

Modesta offered a small smile Harry's way, and then gestured to Sly and Carmelita, who, up until then, had been standing there unnoticed. Modesta went on to make introductions.

"Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox," The cream-colored feline said, gesturing to the vixen. Harry recognized Carmelita in a second, and grinned as he shook her hand.

"Not the Inspector who arrested Muggshot?" He asked. Carmelita raised a brow.

"How did you -?"

"I was supposed to go to Mesa at that time, but got called on to something else," Harry said. "But I'm glad I was called away. I'm willing to give up a case to a beautiful woman, and an exceptional officer like yourself deserved to make a big capture early in her career. Not that I'm saying I've been a cop any longer than you have, you could probably run circles around me."

Carmelita had to laugh. "I've heard some good things about you, too, Inspector Westwood."

Harry then turned to Sly, and held out a hand to him, too, and Sly returned the shake in a friendly manner. The raccoon went to introduce himself.

"Constable Sly Cooper," He said. "Honor to meet you, Inspector."

"Sly Cooper?" Harry asked. "Not… the thief?"

"No," Carmelita said, quickly jumping in before Sly could say anything. "No, not the thief."

"Alright, then," Harry said. "Just a strange coincidence, I suppose."

"Harry!" Mishelle snapped, popping her head out of the Chief's office. "Get in here!"

"I'm coming," Harry said. Sly looked at him.

"How can you deal with having such a moody working partner?" He asked.

"Believe me," Harry said as they walked into the office. "She's never normally this moody."

There were chairs set up in front of the Chief's desk, and Sly took a seat next to Carmelita. Harry and Mishelle sat together, too, but Mishelle looked like she's rather be doing something else. Modesta handed the Chief a file folder for the case, and he immediately flipped it open, taking out the papers inside.

"So," Chief Jacey said. "Inspectors. Do you know anything about this case?"

"Why do you think we're here? We're trying to tell you." Mishelle said flatly before Harry could say anything. He gave her an icy look. The Chief just raised a brow at her, but didn't say anything. Instead, he flicked his cigar against his ashtray before putting it back into his mouth.

"I'll let you tell us, Westwood," Chief Jacey said.

"Yes, sir," Harry said, throwing Mishelle one last look, silently telling her to behave herself before turning back to the Chief. "If you look on the second page stating the case, you'll see a picture of a diamond. This diamond –"

"It's a topaz," Chief interrupted.

"No, it's a diamond," Harry said.

"It's blue," Jacey said, blowing smoke out of his nose.

"It's a blue diamond, yes," Harry said.

"Diamonds aren't this shade of blue," Chief said, almost sounding frantic. J.R. cleared his throat, making his uncle look at him.

"It's called the 'Blue Diamond' case, Uncle," The malamute said. "The BD case? This would be the same one."

"Oh," Chief Jacey said. "Carry on, then, Westwood."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, and Sly could see a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Honestly, the Chief wasn't normally like this. "Anyway, this diamond was created by scientists and archeologists. They wanted to make the diamond a different color to make it more valuable, and whatnot. But a fair amount of Plutonium gas was formed inside."

"The diamond has to be moved to a secure location so scientists can stabilize it," Mishelle continued, sounding really bored. "A thief has been reported sending notes to the police, claiming they want to steal it. We have to get the diamond, move it to a secure facility."

"Excellent," Chief said. "We can maybe get this done by tonight."

"Unfortunately, no," Harry said. "You see, with the amount of security guarding the diamond, it would take at least a few days to get it all down for us to get close to it. First filling out paperwork for the guards to be moved onto something else, then deactivating the floor sensors, which will take a few hours to do all of them, and then the motion sensors, another few hours and the laser beams, and then we'd have to contact the facility we want to put it in, and—"

"Alright, alright!" Chief Jacey exclaimed, looking a little overwhelmed. "So… it'll take us a few days. That's fine. We'll get some officers to be on patrol twenty-four-seven while security is being taken down."

"Inspector Fox and Constable Cooper could be in charge of that," Modesta suggested, flashing the pair a grin. Sly returned her smile, lounging back in his seat. The Chief looked at Sly and Carmelita like they were ghosts.

"How'd you two get in here?" He asked, aghast. Sly raised a brow, but Carmelita was the one who spoke.

"We've been in here the entire time," She said slowly.

"Ah," Chief Jacey said. "Yes, well… very good, then. I'll let all you young people make the plans, and… I'm going to go get a glass of water."

Sly exchanged confused looked with Carmelita, and then Modesta. The Chief was never like this. A small noise next to Sly caught his attention, and he turned his head to look at Mishelle who had the tiniest hint of a smirk on her features. Her green eyes were just staring at the Chief's desk, and then she got to her feet, headed for the door. Harry followed her, obviously not noticing anything, but Sly, Carmelita, Modesta and J.R. stayed behind for a minute.

"The Chief is acting so strangely…" Modesta whispered into the eerie silence.

"There's definitely something weird going on with him," J.R. said. "Probably just nerves… Hopefully just nerves."

"I don't like that Inspector Taylor…" Sly muttered under his breath, but the black and white canine must've heard him.

"You don't like her either?" J.R. asked. Sly shook his head slowly, forgetting to whom he was talking to.

"No…" The raccoon said. "I don't."

"Come on, we'd better get this case organized," Carmelita said, and the four made their way out of the musty room smelling of stale coffee and cigar ashes.

Just as soon as the raccoon stepped out into the hall, Robin walked from of his office, and Sly noticed something very strange. Mishelle and Robin made eye contact, but as soon as she saw him, her bright green eyes narrowed dangerously. Robin's eyes held a dark look, as well. It was obvious they knew and didn't like each other, but how a Detective from England and an Inspector from (Sly assumed) America knew each other was a complete mystery. He would have to talk to Robin later.

"I'm going to get some coffee," Mishelle said suddenly. "Don't wait up for me, will you, Harry?"

"Oh… um… kay?" Harry said questioningly as the black feline walked away. She actually stopped to speak to the secretary for a moment before walking past a cubicle and out of sight.

'I definitely don't like her…' Sly thought as he watched her leave.

Back in his apartment, Sly was talking to Bentley on the phone again, telling him about what happened that day. So far, the turtle wasn't impressed with what the raccoon was telling him.

"You're on the case we're supposed to keep from happening?" Bentley asked calmly.

"Yeah, because my co-worker Modesta Tavita decides she wants Carmelita and me in on the action," Sly replied, plopping down on his couch. "It's a good thing that kitten is cute…"

"Sly, this is bad!" Bentley exclaimed, causing Sly to have to hold the phone at arm's length from his ear. He could still hear his friend perfectly. "If you're caught stealing that diamond, who knows what'll happen! What if you get caught?"

"Do you think I haven't thought of this?" Sly asked, putting the phone back up to his ear again once Bentley had stopped yelling. "I'm as worried as you are, but this way, it'll give us a direct insiders view of what'll happen. It'll help you plan around it."

"True," Bentley said slowly. "But it'll also make it difficult for you."

"Don't worry about me, Bentley," Sly said, grinning into the phone. "Trust me, I'll be fine."

"Alright," The turtle said. "Call me when you figure something else out, okay?"

"Sure thing, pal," Sly said, and after exchanging good-byes, the two friends on either end hung up the phone. Sly dropped his cordless into his lap, and lay back on the couch, putting his hands behind his head. Man… everything that was going on was huge and overwhelming… he just wanted to get this done and over with.

Merah was pacing the living room anxiously, waiting for Robin to get home. She was still in his apartment; he didn't mind her staying there. Actually, she thought he preferred it if she stayed there, but as a thief, she had to be on the move constantly.

After sitting on the couch for about ten minutes, doing nothing, she jumped to her feet, and started to randomly clean things. Then she abandoned her cleaning after she realized what she was doing, and went to the kitchen. She opened the fridge, and then closed it, checking the time on the microwave. 6:04. Then she went back to the living room, and lay down on the couch again. Then she jumped up again, and started to pace, which is where we are now.

She was nervous. Mishelle was here in Paris… she was at Robin's office… oh, god, why did she have to come?

She tugged at the collar of her black body-suit, trying to calm herself by breathing. It was going to be okay… she just had to relax and think positive.

No positive thoughts came to mind.

The relaxing bit didn't work so hot, either.

Suddenly, there was a click at the front door, and Merah stood stalk still. She could hear keys turning the lock. What if someone had stolen Robin's keys? Okay, no, that wasn't likely… but… still, what if?

The door opened and Robin himself came in through the door. Merah let out the breath she was holding as a sigh of relief. He gave her an odd look, but was smiling all the same.

"I didn't think you'd still be here," He said, closing the door behind him and setting his keys on the counter.

"I wanted to know what was up," She said softly, slowly walking towards him. "Is she here?"

"Yeah," Robin said, sounding emotionless. "Mishelle's here. She's going to try and move the diamond."

"I knew that's what she was going to do," Merah hissed. "Dammit… And Bentley hasn't gotten back to me yet on that heist. I have to get it before Mishelle does."

"Why don't you tell Bentley you need help stealing the diamond?" Robin asked.

"Because he wants it, too!" She exclaimed, throwing her arms up into the air. "He wants to lock the diamond and the Five Elements into this vault thing he has in his lab. I don't think he realizes anyone could break in there if they had the proper codes."

"Merah," Robin said, moving close to her and taking her hands in his. "Listen… I'd love to help you. But I can't. I'm not authorized. If you'd let me quit, I could –"

"No," Merah answered firmly, narrowing her eyes at the fox. "I'm not letting you quit. Don't throw it all way for me."

Robin sighed, and nodded. "I just… feel so useless that I can't help you."

Merah gently touched his cheek. "You're so much help. Everyday. You tolerate my rants, and I admit it, I rant a lot. But you listen. So thank you."

"I want to be able to do more," the fox said, cupping her cheek with his hand. He brushed her cheek with his thumb gently, and she just smiled at him. Looking at him always made her forget her fear and panic.

"Well, not arresting me has been a great help," She joked. Robin laughed.

"I mean aside from that." He said. "But I can settle with being on the sidelines… though it does get kind of boring to see you have all the action."

"Is it now?" Merah asked playfully, letting her arms encircle his neck. He just chuckled softly, and let his lips brush hers. He brought a hand up to her throat, and pulled at the zipper of her body-suit, slowly dragging it downward. She didn't try to stop him. They both needed a night to unwind before all hell broke lose.

A/N: What hell could they possibly be thinking of? Hmm… I guess we'll just have to see.

Any guesses about who the villain is in this story? C'mon, c'mon, I want to see if you're right. I don't think you'll ever guess though. XD Good luck all the same.

R&R!

That means you, buddy! points to Kit accusingly Yes, you! You'd better type something up, pal! XD